A new bill proposed in Mississippi that would allow certified bounty hunters to assist in identifying and reporting undocumented immigrants was introduced in the Mississippi House of Representatives. The bill, proposed by the DeSoto County District Attorney and authored by State Rep. Justin Keen, would create the Mississippi “Illegal Alien” Certified Bounty Hunger Program.
The program offers a $1,000 reward to registered bounty hunters for each successful deportation they help facilitate. This news comes as Trump has vowed to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in the US. Additionally, he signed an executive order on Monday that effectively abolishes birthright citizenship , as established by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Several state’s attorney generals, including Matthew Platkin in New Jersey and Rob Bonta in California , have filed lawsuits to stop the order.
His inauguration speech carried a similar message that criticized the previous administration while promising a thriving future during his second term. “The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before,” Trump stated.
“We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad. It fails to protect our magnificent, law-abiding American citizens but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.”
Upon returning to the Oval Office, one of his initial actions was to launch immigration raids in Chicago . The plan, called “Operation Safeguard” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was set to start on Tuesday, but after the plan leaked, it could now be delayed.
The size of the planned operation is unclear. ICE routinely conducts deportations in cities throughout the United States. However, the agency was taking additional steps to ramp up enforcement for the operation and tied it to Trump’s inauguration in a message sent to personnel throughout the agency.
Hundreds of agents were asked to volunteer and participate in the “post-inauguration” operation targeting immigrants in the States illegally.
ICE had planned on sending roughly 150 agents to Chicago for the raids. For Trump, the optics of immigration agents sporting ballistic gear and arresting immigrants with uncertain or contested status in a Democratic-led city could be enough.
The incoming administration is eager to find ways to send a message that it is cracking down on undocumented immigrants and punishing so-called sanctuary cities.
